


뽀뽀

by pinksnowboots



Category: BTOB
Genre: Gen, M/M, Queerplatonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-23
Updated: 2014-12-23
Packaged: 2018-03-03 00:34:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2831651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinksnowboots/pseuds/pinksnowboots
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sungjae’s not really good at expressing himself in ways that most people understand, and Peniel’s not good at expressing himself in a language he only half-understands, so they make quite a good pair.</p><p>Peniel and Sungjae love each other but aren't in love with each other and that's ok. </p><p>(Queerplatonic relationships are so important to me.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	뽀뽀

Sungjae compliments Peniel’s Korean.

Peniel knows that Sungjae’s lying, considering that almost every “Hyung sounds like he was born in Korea!” comes one beat later than his response really should have if he’s understood anything, accompanied by Sungjae’s confused expression (which looks very similar to his amused expression, and it took Peniel a while to tell the difference). 

The first time he’d told him “Wow, your Korean is really good” is when Peniel had tried and failed to introduce himself to some of the other trainees and had been nervous enough that he blanked out on half the words and tripped over the pronunciation of the others. But his smile had been earnest enough to get him through, and Sungjae had smiled back and complimented his Korean, in words simple enough that he could understand.

Sungjae’s not really good at expressing himself in ways that most people understand, and Peniel’s not good at expressing himself in a language he only half-understands, so they make quite a good pair. Sungjae’s unwarranted praise gives Peniel time to find the right vocabulary, and Peniel’s focus on comprehending what he’s hearing means that he doesn’t catch that Sungjae sometimes seems just a little bit too awkward, a little bit too much.

Even though he insists that “Hyung, your Korean is great, really!” Sungjae takes it upon himself to teach Peniel new vocabulary. He’s well suited for it, patient and dramatic and clever, miming and gesturing and pointing as he says the new words; Peniel had always heard that you remember things the best if you have a story to remember them with, and Sungjae can create the best stories for even the simplest of words.

"뽀뽀" Sungjae says as he smacks his lips in an air kiss, just centimeters away from Peniel’s cheek. Peniel’s not uncomfortable with proximity, never has had much sense of personal space even before joining a boy band, so he just laughs and teases "Sorry, what was that? I don’t understand." Sungjae waggles his eyebrows and plants another kiss in the air, this time right in front of Peniel’s lips.

As quickly as he was there, he pulls back. “뽀뽀,” He repeats, sounding pleased with himself.

Another reason that they get along so well is that they both like skinship, crave physical contact. They lean on each other, cuddle up to each other, playfully hold hands, and it’s no big deal even when they don’t have the right words in the right language to explain why exactly they’re doing it even when there are no cameras around.

Sungjae’s kissed all the members: Minhyuk on the forehead because he’s short enough that he could tuck himself under Sungjae’s chin and the camera loves it when Sungjae pecks Minhyuk on the forehead, emphasizing the height difference. He’s kissed Hyunsik on the cheek once during filming, but it never aired because Ilhoon had “accidentally” cursed on camera, making the take NG. He’s kissed Changsub, kneeled down and kissed his hand while they were acting out some scene in the waiting room. His onstage kiss on the lips with their leader had been Eunkwang’s fault, but his onscreen kiss with Ilhoon had been all Sungjae, and Peniel sometimes wonders whether Sungjae and Ilhoon had ever kissed before that, off-camera, back before Ilhoon started leaning into Hyunsik’s too-casual touches rather than shrugging them off.

But he’d never kissed Peniel. He throws kisses around Peniel more than around any of the other members, but they always land in the area between his skin and Sungjae’s lips or in the space where Peniel was seconds before. 

It bothers Peniel, but not enough to be worth mentioning because he doesn’t even think he wants Sungjae to kiss him.

Back when they’d moved into the dorms, Peniel had been carrying a few of their bags up the stairs and Sungjae’s, overstuffed and only half zipped, had basically exploded. Among the ugly t-shirts that their manager was definitely going to forbid him from wearing and the stack of DVDs that Sungjae mistakenly though they’d have time to watch Peniel had noticed that Sungjae had packed several manhwas, all of which had covers that conspicuously lacked any female characters. That, combined with a few unfortunately timed glances at Sungjae’s laptop screen, had let him know that Sungjae did not have the same preferences as say, Changsub. 

The idea of Sungjae being gay didn’t bother him in of itself, although he did have a very confusing dream the night after he figured it out. Chicago was fairly progressive as cities go, and he’d been exposed to a range of people even if he’d never been close friends with anyone who wasn’t straight. But it didn’t matter; Sungjae was still Sungjae, and barring that one slightly confusing dream, the knowledge changed surprisingly little.

It didn’t change the fact that Sungjae could read him better than any of the other members, could tell when Peniel was most homesick and sat with him on Eunkwang’s mattress as Peniel talked about how much he missed his family and nodded sympathetically in all the right places even though Peniel was literally speaking a language he couldn’t understand. It didn’t change the fact that Sungjae was the only one who called him Peniel both on and off camera after he’d explained that hearing the name Donggeun made him think of his parents, who were the only other people who called him that. And it didn’t change the fact that Sungjae was the only person who he didn’t mind seeing him cry, sitting on the floor in their bathroom as Sungjae held him and listened to him pray that all their sacrifices would be worth it in the end.

Maybe it does change them a little bit because sometimes Peniel wonders whether the hypothetical future wife he’s always imagined could comfort him better that Sungjae can. And maybe from time to time he wonders what would happen if Sungjae’s lips did land on his skin.

He’s still wondering when Sungjae plops down on the couch beside him after vocal practice. Peniel only half notices him sit down, but when Sungjae throws an arm around his shoulder he instinctively leans into Sungjae’s side. 

"Sungjae, I forgot what a word means today." Peniel’s Korean has improved to the point where Sungjae almost never compliments it anymore, but he still has to go to Sungjae for help understanding certain words and phrases. "Can you show me what it means?"

"Ooooh, is it a hard word?" Sungjae’s always had a knack for acting, and he loves the challenge of acting out words that aren’t really meant to be acted out. 

"I don’t think so. I heard Ilhoon saying it to Hyunsik-hyung all the time." That’s a lie, but it’s a lie that’s based on some shred of truth, and Sungjae will laugh when he figures it out later. "뽀뽀."

Peniel doesn’t really dare to fully face Sungjae, but glancing to the side he can see that Sungjae’s face looks like it’s trying to figure out how to arrange itself. Then it’s hard to see what Sungjae’s face looks like because it’s too close, and Peniel feels Sungjae’s lips pressing against his cheek. 

It’s short and doesn’t feel like anything special, but it somehow makes sense, and Peniel feels an overwhelming sense of rightness in a way that he doesn’t think he would have if Sungjae had kissed him on the lips.

Sungjae’s looking at him the same way he does whenever Peniel says that he’s happy that he came to Korea and sounds like he actually means it as he asks, “Do you understand it now?”

Peniel’s not sure that either he or Sungjae really understand the question, but Sungjae smiles when Peniel pulls Sungjae’s arm further around himself and suggests they nap til Minhyuk comes and tells them that they can’t sleep at the CUBE building. And neither of them want to kiss each other (on the lips, at least) and that’s okay; maybe that’s even part of the answer.

**Author's Note:**

> 뽀뽀 means "kiss" in Korean, in case you didn't figure it out!


End file.
